Adjusting mechanism for radio apparatus and the like



Feb. 19, 1929.

' A. DORSEY ADJUSTING MECHANISM FOR RADIO APPARATUS AND THE LIKE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 2;, 1927 VINVEJQ'ITOR: M00125? 0 a, y L 7&4 on??? Feb. 19, 1929 1,702,934

' A. YDORSEY ADJUSTING MECHANISM FOR RADIO APPARATUS AND THE LIKE Filed March 25, 1927 2 sn ets-sn ex 2 age, 14.. @4 5 Y fiaATTORNEw tenance in desired relation to the Patented F b. 19, 1929.

, UNITED smrizs PATENT, OFFIC ABTKURDORSEY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

Applicationfiled March 23, 1927. Serial No. 177,817.

In application Serial No. 39,7 96; filed June 26, 1925, owned by the present applicant there is shown and described an adjusting mechanism for radio apparatus and the like in which provision is made for differential movementbetween the driven member and the drive member and relatively movable indicia at all times indicate to the operator their relative movements whereby the nicest degree of adjustment may be obtained. The presentinvention relates to the'incorporation of such improvements in mechanism of a particular type wherein-problems peculiar to the organization of parts and their relationship arise. More particularly, the invention has to do with an assembly in which a window plate is provided to cover the operating mechanism and in which the indicia are mounted behind the'window and observable through the windows therein and inwhich illuminated means for the indicia are carried by the window plate but at the rear thereof. The improvements are more particularly concerned with a construction in which the member to be adjusted is itself supported with the adjusting mechanism so that the entire assembly becomes a unitary whole in that allof the parts have a common support. In carrying out this object of the invention it is pro osed, further, to associate the window piate with other parts so that when it is mounted in place it serves the additional function of assisting'in the support of all of the parts and their main anel. More generally, the invention seeks to rovide mechanism of the character described which shall be simple in construction, cheap to manufacture, easy of assembly and readily accessible fo'rpurposes of inspection, repair or replacement of elements thereof.

Anotherobject of the invention is to utilize'some of the necessary mechanical elements as light reflectors to assist in the eflectiveillumination ofthe indicia at all times.

In realizing some of the objects of the invention certain ofthe elements in the assemblly embody per se novel features rendering t em particularly useful for their intended functions. One such element consists of a threaded thimble constituting part of the bearing for the driving shaft and adjustable to engage the window plate to clamp it in place on the panel. g

The improvements will appear in greater insulating base (i which ma the fin ers to introduce the ight and socket Figure 3 is a view in rear elevation of the assembly shown in Figure 2, the parts being broken away'to show the differential drive. Figure 4- is a view in front elevation of the adjusting mechanism with the panel and Window plate shown in Figure 1 removed.

As the description proceeds it will be evident that the improvements are equally applicable to a construction in which the window plate is set into the front of a panel and one in which the window plate and the adjusting mechanism are mounted wholly in front of the panel. In either event, however, it is contemplated that the adjusting. mechanism and the indicia'and the source of illumination therefor shall all be at the rear of the a in Figure 1 which intersect as at a lea-ving a continuous opening. These holes may be cut conveniently in the front wall of any radio set by means of a circular cutter or reamer to permit the improved adjusting mechanism as a whole to be applied to such set. The window plate 6 which is of ornamental confi ration may be of moulded composition aving extensions on its rear face adapted to seat snugly within the opening formed by the holes m, 1 in the panel, as appears clearly from Figure2. As viewed from the front there appearson the window plate a hand-knob 0 on the operating shaft 0, this knob being mounted preferably near the lower' end of the window plate. Near the center opening 6 through which may be introduced a light 0! carried in a socket a? which extends through the opening and is mounted on an be grasped by throug the opening or to remove it thereof the window plate is an from, the mechanical and electrical connections therefor forming no part of the 'present invention.

Immediately above and below the light d are formed windows 6 6, through which indicia e and f are visible, these indicia being illuminated when necessary by the light. The lower indicia e' in the illustrated embodiment is in the form of a raduated dial revoluble with the drive sha t 0" while the upper indicia f revolves with the member tobe adjusted as will later appear, differential gearing between the driving and driven members insuring that a relatively great movement of the drive shaft shall bring about only a predetermined fractional movement of the driven member thereby permitting a nice adjustment as contemplated by the said co-pending application Serial No. 39,796 filed June 26, 1925. The indicia e and f and the light 0? are all mounted at the rear of the window plate I) whether be journaled in a two-part bearing consisting of co-operating threaded thimble h, it, the portion A being headed to seat on-the inner face of the panel a and the portion lz/being flanged to bear against thefront face of the window plate '6. By having the-two portions threaded it is evident that they may be ,adjusted relatively to clamp the window plate firmly in place against the panel regardless of varying thicknesses of panel and lend themselves quite readily to dismounting when necessary. The *shaft extends through these thimbles and has. i secured drive mechanism for operating the member to its inner end a suitable to be driven. One such suitable mechanism is shown and described in co-pending application Serial No. 159,7 55 filed January 8, 1927, owned by the present applicant consisting briefly in a \friction disk 0 adapted to bear on the face of a curved plate 71 which 18 secured to the'driven member. The curved plate 5 has rack teeth Xi engaged by a pinion c on the end of the drive shaft 0 whereby the predetermined angular relation between the driving and driven members is always positively maintained. On the end of the drive shaft 0' is falso secured a hollow spider k of circularform to which is secured in turn the lower indicia 6, movement of which may be observed through the window b. Y

- The member to be adjusted in the case of radio apparatus may be the condenser shaft which is not illustrated but is adapted to enter the sleeve shown at Z and to beconnected to the driven portion of the'mechanism by the set screw m as will appear later.

The driven plate 2' is shown as secured to a transmission element formed as a circular concave plate a which is carried by a sleeve o c'oncentric with the sleeve Z and in juxta- 7 position thereto and receiving the set screw m whereby the sleeve 0 and sleeve Z may be coupled fixedly to the condenser shaft by the set screw m as heretofore pointed out. The" circular concave plate it houses the adjusting mechanism heretofore described and is disposed immediately behind the light source cl and its tapered wall is in such relation to the-windows b and b and to the upper and lower indicia a, f, as to reflect sufiicient rays of light from the source (Z forwardly through the indicia to insure a high degree of visibility. L

On the inner end of the sleeve 0 is mounted a frame ;0 which performs'several functions. -This frame has a downwardly extending arm p in'which the rear end of the drive shaft 0 isjournaled. It has two laterally extending arms 72 20 which are disposed within the circular rack 71 and at their ends are bent forwardly to support upwardly and downwardly extending plates 7 p, 12 these plates being conveniently attached as by rivets go. The downwardly extending plate 10 which is generally semi- 100 circular in outline is formed with an opening to receive one of the thimble portions h.

The upwardly extending plate p extends under the sinner eriphery of the indicia f and serves to back it up as well ,as to assist in the illumination by battling the reflected rays to the best advantage. The sleeve 0- may have fastened thereon a retaining wash er 0 to hold the frame pin place while permitting free relative movement between the frame and therevoluble sleeve 0. The con stru-ction described insures centering of the necessary fixed axes and rotation of the relatively revoluble parts and gives stiffness and ri idity to the entire assembly and affords t e bearing oints which assist to carry the weight of t e. operating mechanism. These bearing points when considered in conjunction with the bracket 9 nowabout to be described insure a firm mounting free from vibration and displacement.

To support the adjusting mechanism and the condenser shaft (in cases where the condenserv shaft is the member to beadjusted) a bracket gextends downwardly from, the

'top rear side of the window plate and to the rear of the adjusting mechanism and .receives in its lower end the end of the sleeve 0 which is held against axial displacement with respect to the bracket by the flange sleeve Z. The condenser shaft and all of the adjusting mechanism described except the driving mechanism itself which as has been shown is carried directly in the panel and in the window plate, are thereby supported from the bracket 9. The means -for securing the bracket will now be described. The window plate I) has preferably moulded in it" and extending rearwardly therefrom near its top end two threaded studs 6'. The bracket 9 is formed in its upper end with a cross plate 9 of greater width than the window plate and of greater width than" the opening 0, of the panel in which the window plate is seated. Provision is made for the studs 1) to extend through the cross plate g when the parts are assembled and retaining nuts 9 are applied to the studs so as to clamp the plate against the rear wall of the panel and clamp the shouldered window plate firmly in place. It may be said, therefore, that this clamping arrangement at the upper end of the window plate and the clamp secured through the threaded thimbles h, 71/, afford a very simple and convenient means for mounting the window plate and utilizing it as one element of the retaining devices. The studs bf may serve the additional function as binding posts for wires 7' by which current may be led to the light 0!, but this forms 'no part of the present invention.

The unitary mounting described in connection'with the supporting frame p-with its several arms is heldagainst rotary movement and, in assembly, is properly centered to bring the scales e, 7, 1n registry with their respectivewindows, by means of forwardly protruding lugs p extending from the arms p which enter similar recesses moulded in the rear face of the window plate I). Since the reflector n arries the scales e, f, and is adapted to rota e it is necessary to hold the supporting frame 1) in fixed angular position so that displacement of the entire unit will not result from such rotation.

The changes indicated hereinbefore either expressly or by implication and other changes involving only mechanical skill may be made without departing from the invention so long as the general results emphasized are secured in apparatus of the character with which the improvements are to be associated. v

What I claim is:

1. In ad'ustingmechanism of the character descri ed, a window plate having open ings therethrough to exposerelatively movable indicia, driving and driven members carried with the window plate the indicia being movable with such members, respectively, and means whereby movement'of the driving members imparts predetermined movement to the driven member. I

.2. Adjusting mechanism of the chcaraeter described, including a window plate adapted to bemounted in an opening in a panel, driving and driven members carried with the window plate, operative connections be" tween the driving and driven members carried therewith, a bracket to support the operating mechanism, and means engaging the Window plate and the bracket to clamp the window plate in the panel.

3. In adjusting mechanism of the char-. acter described, in combination with a plate having a window therein, indicia mounted behind the plate, a drive shaft journaled ,1

in the plateand extending therethrough, a

driven member in operative engagement 30 with the driving member, a circular concave reflector carried with the driven member, means for supporting the indicia upon the reflector and behind he window in the plate, and a light source to illuminate the the parts in predetermined fixed relation.

5. In adjusting mechanism of the charac ter described, in combination with a window plate, driving and driven members carried therewith and operatively interconnected, means to support-said mechanism at the rear of the window plate, a frame to'hold' the parts in predetermined fixed relation, and a bracket to support the frame and adjusting mechanism. I

6. In adjusting mechanism of the character described, in combination with a window plate, driving and driven members carried therewith and operatively interconnected, means to support said mechanism at the rear of the window plate, a frame to hold the arts in predetermined fixed relation, a brac et to support the frame and adjusting unechanism, and means carried with the bracket to justed. I q

7. In adjusting mechanism for radio apparatus, in combination with a panel on which the apparatus'is supported, a' plate connected with the apparatus" and disposed on one side of the panel, a second plate dis-.

support the member. to be adposed on the-other side of the panel, and

means for securing the two plates together with] the panel therebctween whereby the adjusting mechanism is secured to the panel.

. 8. In adjusting mechanism of the character descrlbed, int combination with a window plate, driving and driven members carried therewith and operatively interconnected, means to support said mechanism at the rear of the window plate, a frame to hold the, parts in predetermined fixed relation, and means carried with the frame and engaging the window plate to hold the frame against rotational movement.

9. In a radio tuning mechanism, a condenser shaft, a manually operable member, means to drive the shaft from the member, a" window plate, a supporting panel, means to mount the plate on the panel, means to mount the shaft and manual means upon the window plate, a plurality of indicia means, means to mount the indicia upon the Window plate, and meansto drive the indicia from the manual means, the 1nd1c1a belng moveable at different rates of speed.

10. In adjusting'mechanis 'm of the char acter described, .in combination, a window plate, means to-mount) the plate on a supporting panel, movable indicia mounted at 20 the rear of the plate and carried by the indicia to the device to be adjusted to effect" adjustment of the latter upon movement of the former, and light means mounted in the window plate at the rear thereof to illuminate the indicia.

This specification signed this 14th day of March A. D. 1927.

ARTHUR DORSEY. 

